Jim Bianco knows how to captivate an audience. You can't help but be drawn in by his charisma, and you never know what to expect when he takes the stage. Bianco’s new record, Sing, is the first album to be released by the Hotel Cafe record label. Like his previous albums, Sing showcases his playfulness. "I Got a Thing for You" is destined to be a hit with burlesque troupes, and lyrics from songs like......

Part three of three. Tuesday: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Yesterday: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Today: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. Again -- last Saturday, Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 (MySpace)'s Greg Laswell (MySpace), Priscilla Ahn (MySpace), William Fitzsimmons (MySpace), Joshua Radin (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Jessie Baylin (MySpace), Ingrid Michaelson (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) performed a sold-out show at the......

39 days • 12 musicians • 1 bus Though this may sound like the setup for “The Real World: Singer-Songwriter Edition,” it’s actually the description of the Hotel Cafe Tour—a traveling showcase of some of the best musical talent in the country, most of whom are LA residents and regulars at the Hotel Cafe on Cahuenga. You might think that with so many creative people packed into such a small space, drama would naturally......

Part two of three. Yesterday: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Today: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Tomorrow: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. Recapping -- last Saturday, Hotel Cafe Tour 2008 (MySpace)'s Greg Laswell (MySpace), Priscilla Ahn (MySpace), William Fitzsimmons (MySpace), Joshua Radin (MySpace), Meiko (MySpace), Jim Bianco (MySpace), Jessie Baylin (MySpace), Ingrid Michaelson (MySpace), Cary Brothers (MySpace), and Jesca Hoop (MySpace) performed a sold-out show at the......

Part one of three. Today: Greg Laswell, Priscilla Ahn, William Fitzsimmons, and Joshua Radin. Tomorrow: Meiko, Jim Bianco, and Jessie Baylin. Thursday: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, and Jesca Hoop. This past weekend, the 2008 installment of the Hotel Cafe Tour (MySpace) rolled back into town (last month it opened with stops in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Anaheim, and the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood) for the last of two sold-out shows during its domestic run......

The Hackensaw Boys | Photo via their MySpace Our brain is going to explode with all the great choices tonight. From friggin' amazing jazz (see, we're not swearing) at UCLA to folk-punk sensibilities of The Hackensaw Boys at Tangier in Los Feliz (video after the jump), tonight is a bounty of gold. Also, Jim Bianco will be at Amoeba and it's the first night for Wednesday night March residencies. Howlin' Rain @ Spaceland Jim......

New Jersey singer/songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs (MySpace), whose song "Fuck Was I" was on Weeds, is arguably best known for her connection with the controversial and self-described "Queen of All Media" Perez Hilton, whose championing of her music led to visits on her MySpace page reportedly leaping from 2,000 plays a day to a whopping 60,000. Youngs debuted locally in December 2005, "...in front of a rather industry crowd of artists, label dorks, and......

Richard Thompson - "I Feel So Good" Richard Thompson Band @ Royce Hall Toots & The Maytals, Elijah Emanuel & the Revelations @ House of Blues The National, St. Vincent @ The Wiltern Beausoleil @ The Mint The Groovy Rednecks @ SW Hill Country Leon Russell @ Malibu Inn Michael McDonald, Patti Austin @ The Greek Josh Rouse, Jason Collett @ El Rey Girl Talk, Dan Deacon @ Echoplex Imperial Teen, The Finches, Sounds......

Brother Ali @ Amoeba (free) Albert Hammond Jr., The Dead Trees @ House of Blues El-P @ El Rey Doug Benson, Andy Kindler @ Largo AM, Jim Bianco, Buddy, Kelly Dalton, Laura Jansen @ The Hotel Cafe Gliss, Meho Plaza, The Flesh, Casper @ Spaceland Metal Skool, Vertical Chain, 3 Against 1, L.A. Bonfire @ Key Club Bodies of Water, The Parson Redheads, Muso, Knifey Head @ The Echo The High Society, Bolero, Victor......

We'd like to congratulate Neil for winning The Stills contest. The Stills play tonight at the Henry Fonda with The Land of Talk. If you didn't win, stay tuned, LAist has contests every week for your ass. Here are some other options tonight, a night full of killer live music. Rocket (pictured) @ Spaceland (free) Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blood Brothers @ Hollywood Palladium Band of Horses @ Avalon Andrew's Bad Stuff, Fluffer, Rick Surveuor......

At 7:30 PM, Beyond Baroque is hosting a third anniversary reading for POOL Magazine, hosted by poets/editors Judith Taylor and Patty Seyburn with readings from the new issue by Stephanie Brown, Rick Bursky, Gina Lain, Suzanne Karpilovsky, Louise Mathias, Jim Natal, Alicia Partnoy and Charles Webb. Wine and cheese will also be served. The Hotel Cafe is "Fumblin' With The Blues" tonight, when Ian Ball, Jim Bianco, Cary Brothers, Buddy C Duck and Nate,......